*This is a new concept, a brief, digestible pre-game level-setter. Enjoy!

1. Power Play. The Wild has no momentum with the man-advantage the last handful of games. Getting a power play is step one. Then cashing in on it is step two.

2. Offense from the defense. Russo highlighted the distinct lack of scoring the Wild blue line has generated so far. It starts with defenseman getting shots on goal. I'll be counting those tonight.

3. Riled up 'Hawks. When Chicago gets 50 shots on goal, and only gives up 18 SOG, you figure they won, yes? Not in their last game, a 4-3 regulation loss to Dallas. How fired up and focused the Hawks are - and how well the Wild handles that - is a huge key, especially early. If the Hawks get up by a couple early....

Sunday, December 1, 2013

So, it's December. You know what that means right? It's time to shit our pants!

Wait. This isn't the Wild locker room?

I mean, I'm about as glass-half-full as you can get, but this annual ritual has got to end, and right fucking quick. Mike Yeo has to figure out which buttons to push, or I'm going straight to #fireyeo territory. I won't even make a stop in #freezucker land or #freehaula -stan.

The team started the season great, but once again, the wheels are falling off. His first year, I gave him a pass because the Wild suffered an amazing stretch of injury bad luck. Shit happens, you try again.

Last year there was no December letdown, because there was no December hockey, but there was a precipitous drop at the end of the season when everything fell apart and the Wild went from top in the division to fighting for the privilege of being Chicago's playoff tuneup.

But this is the third year in a row where the Wild have gone from controlling the play to not being able to control a fucking cell phone, much less the pace of the game. Once is an event. Twice a coincidence. Three times, incompetence.

Shape up, boys, or you'll get to meet a new boss, I hear a couple are available, and they already have clean big boy pants on.

POI

Your Bloggers

Nick in New York (NiNY) is just a guy with a computer and a love of hockey. And a wife and two daughters whom he adores. And a decreasing ability to metabolize beer in a way that doesn't, er, add to the bottom line, as it were.

Feel free to toss him an email with any thoughts on the blog, or the sport.

Mason...you don't really want to mess with Mason. He's nasty with the writing skillz. And can drop some ridic culture pulls into his narrative. Lover of haiku.

Mason can be reached at: jaredmas@gmail.com

Did you know that no two zebras' stripes are the same? Well we have a zebra here at HTP, and his name is Doubles. Only he's a hockey zebra - and he's here going to share his great wealth of hockey knowledge from an on-ice official's standpoint with you. Feel free to read him in Chris Rock's voice.